Chips Quinn Reporter Spotlight: Leah Olajide
Posting: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Leah Olajide, Newsletter Editor at the Detroit Free Press, blends her newsroom expertise with a deep commitment to community storytelling and journalism education. As a lifelong Detroiter, Olajide’s career has been shaped by her early exposure to the field and a passion that has spanned more than two decades.
Born and raised in Detroit, Olajide credits her father, a retired photojournalist, for sparking her interest in the profession. At age eleven, she received her first reporter’s notebook from him. From that moment on, she was hooked. Writing and interviewing became a passion that eventually turned into a lifelong pursuit.
Leah Olajide
Chips Quinn Reporter
Olajide earned her B.A. in Communication & Journalism which laid the foundation for a versatile career in the field. In 2019, she pursued a master’s degree in Communication with the intent to teach while continuing to work in a newsroom. She completed her M.A. in December 2021—during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—and has since built a career that allows her to contribute to journalism as both an editor and educator.
Olajide’s latest story | Pricey or priceless? | Detroit Free Press
Since 2022, Olajide has led the Detroit Free Press’s Daily Briefing, the newsroom’s flagship newsletter. In her role, she works across departments to highlight top stories, curating content for an audience that has grown to over 120,000 subscribers. The success of the Daily Briefing is a point of pride for her, especially as the position was created specifically to elevate the newsletter’s reach and impact. Olajide sees it as a way to ensure readers start each day informed, engaged and connected to their community.
Why Apply for the Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship?
Olajide applied to the Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship to build relationships with fellow journalists and gain insights from veterans in the field. She sought out a fellowship that would not only enhance her professional development but also help her grow in her dual roles as an editor and professor. The fellowship has delivered on both goals and more. Through Chips Quinn, Olajide has gained the confidence to continue leading in the newsroom and classroom while also feeling encouraged to push her professional growth further. She credits the fellowship with helping her navigate the evolving demands of her career—especially as she stepped into a new chapter of life.
During her time in the program, Olajide also embraced a new title: Mom. She and her husband welcomed their son in October 2024, and the support she received from the fellowship community helped her adjust to life as a working parent.
Olajide encourages young journalists to ask questions, seek out job shadowing opportunities and prioritize internships. She also offers a reminder often overlooked in fast-paced newsrooms: “Take care of yourself- this is a tough business that if done well, it will tug at your heart long after the deadline has passed.”
Message from her Mentor
"Leah has been tremendous. Her passion to want to do more in and out of the newsroom is contagious. She has accomplished so much, and her future is bright. I’ve enjoyed working with her, especially our conversations.“
Dalton Walker
Managing Editor, O'odham Action News
Started by Freedom Forum, the original Chips Quinn program helped put college interns into newsrooms across the country. Since its beginnings in 1991, the program has reached more than 1,400 people, many of whom are now in leadership positions for local and national newsrooms. Today, the program aims to offer support to early-career journalists already in their respective newsrooms through a 1:1 mentorship by leading members in the journalism field as well as alumni from the program. Thanks to continued support for the program from Freedom Forum, each Chips Quinn Reporter receives a $10,000 stipend..
About Freedom Forum: Established on July 4, 1991, by USA TODAY founder Al Neuharth, the Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) foundation dedicated to fostering First Amendment freedoms for all. As the nation’s foremost advocate for First Amendment freedoms, the Freedom Forum engages thousands of Americans each year in classes, conversations and celebrations of these essential rights, including through the Power Shift Project, the annual Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference, the Chips Quinn Scholars Program for Diversity in Journalism, the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media, the Free Expression Awards, the annual “Where America Stands” survey, the Journalists Memorial and Today’s Front Pages.
About JFP: The mission of Journalism Funding Partners is to strengthen the depth, diversity and sustainability of local news by building and shepherding relationships between funders and local news organizations. JFP is a recognized nonprofit that acts as fiscal sponsor, allowing foundations and individual funders to contribute directly to local news, regardless of the news organization’s business model. JFP manages the funds feeding numerous news initiatives, including more than a dozen Climate reporters in the Southeast, an Equity Desk at The Sacramento Bee, an Education and Economic Mobility Desk in California’s Central Valley, the Investigative Fund of The Miami Herald and for Inclusivity and Investigative funds at the Associated Press.
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Media Contact: Rusty Coats, Executive Director | rusty@jfp-local.org | (813) 277-8959
